at this point, i'm convinced i must be the problem.

liz tomforde plots are just not for me. her writing is great, all the potential is always there, but results always feel underwhelming

don't get me wrong, her men are the best, esp with the way isaiah carried this book. but kennedy felt more like a plot device rather than a real character.

i don't wanna say isaiah deserved better, but for how much he yearned, he was really getting fed pages of denial and shit by kennedy. enough is enough. this shouldve been done LAST book. IM TIRED 😭

deadass i don't know what's worse. a third act break up or the constant pushing away the best fucking man on earth because the fmc is just THAT oblivious to the truth???

the "teach me how to be intimate" plot is sweet, gave kennedy's story development, but this is supposed to be a relationship. both sides giving something. i couldn't tell you much about who kennedy is as a person if it wasn't for isaiah

isaiah, you were a pathetic in-love fool the whole time, busting your ass off while kennedy felt like a npc who gave less effort than the side characters at times

i'm happy to say i thoroughly enjoyed this !!

each character has their own story and personal traumatic experiences. there was always hints that motivated me to figure out more about each individual character as well. this book never fell short of suspense and from beginning to end, you can easily tell the differences of strength and confidence of not only just the fmc

this first book is a great foundation for the rest of the series. the premise is very interesting, much lore to still be revealed of the characters, and i hope to see more layers of world building besides the simple elements of water, fire, air, and earth.

a few complaints as i feel this book on its own did fall slightly short of its potential. you will see plenty of repetitiveness of the plot, kiva's thoughts, and the story overall. although i never felt bored, this did drag out parts of the pacing at times. regarding the book's plot twists, i unfortunately did predict them, but their shock factor still took an immense value on me !! time to time, there were a few scenes i found completely unnecessary and only there for a page of suspense, just for it to lead nowhere.

despite this, the setting is very hooking. that ending felt perfect, and i will be munching on that second book

2.75

i'm sorry but i am beyond bored and disappointed.

miller didn't really do it for me. i like her ability to stand her ground, but reading 400-500 pages of her pushing away the man every chance for growth had me exhausted. assuming off half the book i did get to, her story wasn't at all interesting to me either.

max, the baby was cute. kai was okay too. honestly, it felt like there were barely layers to any of the characters. hence, little to no rooting for them. the only times i did enjoy their time together was around max, everything else felt overwhelmingly lustful.

got me in my feels

so so much better than mile high, yet somehow less memorable except ryan shay's fine ass. should be illegal how that man is fictional

i'm mainly really happy with this book, but likewise to mile high, the length bored me as some of the third act conflicts felt unnecessary and dragged out. this did mean more sweet, romantic scenes sprinkled in, but with the little chemistry i felt, i fear to admit this was slightly disappointing.

yes, ryan is basically THE handbook definition of perfection, but something about indy and their relationship didn't have me obsessed or anything

don't get me wrong, indy and ryan are very likeable characters and liz tomforde does a fantastic job writing flaws and trauma.

however, i went into this thinking the majority of the book was angsty romance, considering indy had no choice but to bombard ryan's solitude and live as his roommate for a few months. i tend to not nitpick bad pacing but it genuinely felt as if ryan barely had an issue to begin with and switched up his whole attitude on her within two days?? they suddenly had so many fluffy and cute moments in the first half of the book meaning all the anti-climatic suspense was forced to be added in the second half but with the romance already settled.

sorry i gotta love me my angry tension sometimes. and for a plot that was perfect for this dynamic, seeing it missing felt like the greatest potential ruined

anyway, many glimpses of future characters and also infertility rep !!!! i complained a lot, but this book was genuinely a fun ride. would re-read just for ryan shay, what can i say 😩

don't wanna complain about 600 pages, especially of characters i really did like, but lord.. this could have had me in a chokehold if it weren't for the 200 extra pages of absolute predictable, boringness.

stevie, our fmc portrays a plus size black woman, which i don't think was mentioned once whatsoever throughout the unnecessary amount of pages this was???

this goes for zander too. so the concept of having black mcs, but not at all referenced to except stevie's prominent curls is beyond me 😭??

on the other hand, her insecurities of her body was represented heavily and dare i say, the only interesting factor of this book's storyline. also many heavy mental health reps, though i do wish they had a bigger role in the plot !!

zander gotta be fuckboy final boss, brand image or not. thank god he locked tf in the second he saw stevie, but having a list of women + description from each city you fuck is mad work, ALL the shade. collecting them like pokemon orr what are we doing ??

their chemistry was chefs kiss tho. inside jokes were fantastic, moments cute asf, and the dogs were so adorable. writing was fun to read, sometimes leaning over fanfic-ish sorts, but i was hooked either way.

many characters randomly disappeared throughout, but most of the side characters supported each scene and all i gotta say, i am so ready to read their books